Creating value starts with the classification of the raw material

It is not always possible to install a log yard with log sorting equipment; the reasons include space constraints, low cutting capacities etc. Especially for these cases, SAB also provides sawing technology for unsorted cutting.

Anyone who seeks to improve the yield of their operations thinks about the sawing line in the first instance. State-of-the-art sawing technology is, of course, important. But our decades-long experience has shown us time and again: No matter how you optimize your conversion technology – if the logs don't come ideally sorted, the effect on the efficiency and economy of your line is often detrimental.

This means, that the biggest losses along the value chain from the log to the marketable timber and far into further processing often go unnoticed on the log yard. They will only be spotted during the yield analysis of the sawing line. Then it is tempting to assign the yield issue mainly to the sawing technology and make costly upgrades to improve it. But we learned that the first place to look at to improve and secure profit is the log yard. Qualified raw material sorting and classification must be accompanied by a cutting/conversion technology that allows for optimized cutting patterns. For this reason, SAB builds sawmills – both with conventional and profiling technology – with log sorting systems that are optimized and tailored to the operating procedures of each customer. The following are some examples for the ""SAB approach"

Log sorting in an industrial timber complex

Poland, company Stelmet – Log yard capacity over 300,000 solid cubic meters annually in single-shift operation, log lengths 1.8 to 3.0 m, average annual diameter approx. 20-23 cm, sorted by top and bottom, adjusted to the sawing pattern requirements, sorted and distributed to log decks optimized for the profiling system. Blocks are fed to the sorting system via 2 feeding tables, debarked, measured in 3D, turned as required and dropped into 36 sorting boxes. Further processing of the timber produced on the SAB profiling system is completely performed in-house. The entire residual wood enters the company's own pellet production and thus creates additional value.

Log sorting without operator

The log yard of the German company Herbst is basically run without operator. If required, the operator (excavator driver) can manually intervene in the automatic control system of the sorting equipment via remote control. The switching and control system – as well as the operator cabin that is occupied if required – was installed in a 20 ft container. The complete log sorting plant was installed and commissioned in 18 days.

Log sorting with crooked maritime pine

The separation and sorting of crooked maritime pine (with block lengths of 1.8 to 3.0 m) at the company Costa in Portugal is a particularly challenging task. At Costa, regionally available raw materials from the coastal region around Porto is cut and used to manufacture pallets.

Log sorting in rough climate

Even for extreme climate conditions with huge temperature differences as in the North-Western part of Russia and in the region around Lake Baikal, SAB delivered complete sawmills with the pertaining log sorting equipment. From the variety of systems supplied to the Russian Federation we would like to choose two examples: the companies Cherepovetsles (right). Another aspect is the safe storage of the sorted logs in corresponding decks. A particular log drop technology, which is today employed by SAB as a standard, provides for an optimized drop line and therefore also an improved storage in the individual sorting decks.